PROVO, Utah—BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson and Associate Athletic Director Brian Santiago honored and acknowledged the BYU men’s cross country team and its fourth place national finish Thursday in a banquet dedicated to the team.
“We know this is a big deal and we are honored to represent the board in commending you on your success,” President Samuelson said. “It’s not only winning and succeeding, it’s the way you did it. When you go out and represent something as well as you’ve done, you’re representing something much bigger.
All-Americans Tylor Thatcher and Jared Ward led the Cougars to a fourth-place finish and podium appearance at the NCAA Championships, matching their highest finish under head coach Ed Eyestone. BYU won its second West Coast Conference Championship in three years with Jason Witt finishing first overall to lead the way. Eyestone was named the WCC Coach of the Year.
“At the beginning of the year, I thought we could be a top-10 team, but these guys had loftier goals,” Eyestone said. “It was easy for me to get on board when I saw their enthusiasm and excitement. We didn’t really have one clear-cut superstar, but instead we had other guys step up as the season progressed. They came through with a solid day at nationals for a podium spot. That had been their goal all along.”
For a detailed recap of the Cougars successful season, see the season review.